PET TRAVEL AND BREXIT- please read all information carefully

tweed house vets are no longer providing animal health certificates for travel (other than those already booked prior to 21/11/25).

THERE IS A LOCAL COMPANY THAT SPECIALISE IN ANIMAL HEALTH CERTIFICATES, COSTING FROM £99. CONTACT https://www.animalhealthcertificatesuknorth.co.uk FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. We can still provide rabies vaccination if you use their services.

The government has produced updated guidance on pet travel and Brexit. If you are taking your pet to an EU country or Northern Ireland YOU MUST read here: https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad/travelling-to-an-eu-country-or-northern-ireland

For advice on returning to the UK YOU MUST see here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-and-from-great-britain. In particular you must be aware that worming treatment is required prior to entering the UK. The treatment must have been given no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before you enter Great Britain. Your dog can be refused entry or put into quarantine if you do not follow this rule. If you’re leaving Great Britain for a short trip, your dog must be treated by a vet before you go. You must wait for 24 hours before re-entering Great Britain and return within 120 hours or you’ll need to get another treatment abroad. You should treat your dog again within 28 days of returning to Great Britain. A leaflet with a checklist for returning is available here.

UK Pet Passports are no longer valid for entry into the EU. Pets must travel with an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) and a new certificate is required for each journey into the EU. a Pet Travel Document is required for travel to Northern Ireland which you must obtain yourself.

Your pet must be microchipped and have a current, up to date Rabies vaccination. If it is not up to date your pet cannot travel for 21 days after vaccination. (Due to the time to complete the certificate realistically this means making sure the rabies vaccine is up to date at least a month before travel. Vets in Great Britain (GB) are no longer allowed to certify rabies vaccinations in an EU passport. If the rabies vaccine has become overdue on an EU passport you will have to travel with an AHC.

The AHC is issued within 10 days of travel. It is valid for 4 months of onward travel in the EU and return to the UK, but a new AHC is required for each journey into the EU or Northern Ireland from GB. If you are reentering the UK beyond 120 days you will require a new pet passport to be issued for the return journey.

The person travelling with the pet (which in our case must be the owner) must be present when we complete the AHC as there is a declaration to sign. The declaration states that the pet will be reunited with its owner within 5 days if you are travelling separately and that the movement is non- commercial. We cannot provide forms for animals that are being sold or ownership transferred. We will not provide for forms for pets being transported by courier. We only provide forms for pets travelling with their owners.

The Animal Health Certificates (AHCs) required for each journey to the EU are multi page documents and take a long time to complete. YOU MUST ENSURE RABIES VACCINES AND AHC BOOKINGS ARE COMPLETE WELL IN ADVANCE OF TRAVEL DUE TO THE RABIES VACCINE REQUIREMENTS.

  • AHCs can only be provided for domestic dogs and cats. The EU does not allow AHCs for Bengal or Savannah cats.

  • If you are thinking of travelling to a country outside of the EU we would strongly recommend that you contact a specialist agency such as PETAIRUK or AHCUKNorth. We do not complete Export Health Certificates for non EU countries so you must ask for these through PetAir or AHCUKNorth.

  • Export of animals for commercial purposes such as change of ownership of a puppy or kitten requires different paperwork. Please contact one of the companies above.

Another option for owners is to use animal health certificate online.

pre-visit form:

For any advice on travel please use the form below. Please be aware that we are no longer able to provide AHCs but will be able to give general advice.